Norwich City were once inspired by Huddersfield Town success – They hit the jackpot in a big way | OneFootball

Stuart Webber was instrumental in bringing David Wagner at Huddersfield Town and he repeated the trick with Daniel Farke at Norwich City.

Back in the summer of 2017, Norwich City followed the blueprint set by Huddersfield Town and appointed a Borussia Dortmund reserve team manager – and it was a decision whereby the Canaries had struck gold.

In November 2015, Huddersfield appointed Borussia Dortmund II coach David Wagner. About 18 months later, the Terriers earned themselves a first promotion to the top-flight of English football during the Premier League era after being a perennial bottom-half team in the Championship.

Having been the Head of Youth at Wrexham, the Director of Recruitment at Liverpool and then the Head of Scouting at Queens Park Rangers as well as Wolverhampton Wanderers; Stuart Webber had become Director of Football at Huddersfield in the summer of 2015.

Webber departed Huddersfield in April 2017 after an instrumental influence in the arrival of Wagner as well as the squad that was built to gain promotion to the Premier League and he moved down to Norfolk to become the Sporting Director at Norwich.

His first managerial appointment was to replicate his first managerial appointment at Huddersfield and that was to appoint Dortmund’s II coach to eventually gain promotion to the Premier League in their second season.

The Wagner & Farke comparison

Former United States international Wagner, has been in charge of Borussia Dortmund II from the start of the 2011/12 season and was doing a generally unremarkable job in the development of Dortmund’s youth side before his appointment at Huddersfield.

Upon his arrival in West Yorkshire, the Terriers steadied the ship somewhat in his first season before a Webber-led German-focused recruitment drive in the summer saw the arrivals of the likes of Christopher Schindler, Michael Hefele and Chris Lowe among others. In his second season they surprised many to gain promotion to the top-flight.

Daniel Farke was Wagner’s replacement in charge of Borussia Dortmund II before his move to England in the summer of 2017. Webber once again led a German-focused recruitment policy with Bosnia-Herzegovina international Mario Vrancic arriving from Darmstadt alongside the likes of Christoph Zimmermann, Marcel Franke, Tom Trybull and Marco Stiepermann.

After a steady first season, Farke then led Norwich to the first of two Championship titles under his management with the Canaries hitting 94 points in the 2018/19 campaign and then 97 points in the 2020/21 season.

Norwich have been promoted to the top-flight on nine occasions in their entire 123-year history and two of those promotions came within the space of three seasons thanks to Farke.

Farke’s career since Carrow Road

Following his sacking by Norwich in November 2021 as they once again struggled back in the Premier League, Farke took some time out before being appointed Krasnodar boss in January 2022 but leaving just two months later, citing the Russian invasion of Ukraine as his reason for departing.

He spent a season in charge of Borussia Monchengladbach in the 2022/23 campaign as they finished tenth before moving to Leeds United the following season and narrowly missing out on automatic promotion in his first year before a play-off final defeat to Southampton.

Unlike many sides and managers, despite having several key players sold such as Archie Gray, Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville, Farke was able to get Leeds back on track and they eventually won this season’s Championship title with 100 points, meaning his current win percentage at Elland Road is 58.65% over 104 games in charge.

Inspired by his own successful decision at Huddersfield, Webber brought in a manager to Carrow Road that would provide them with some memorable second-tier campaigns and, as they head into another summer looking for a new boss following the sacking of Johannes Hoff Thorup, Farke looks set for another season in the top-flight of English football.